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Monday, September 26, 2011

Passion for Fashion Recap

Hey friends! I just landed in home in New York, and I have SO MUCH to tell you about American Sewing Expo. In fact, it probably won't fit in one post. So let's start with the event that brought me to the expo: the contest! As I mentioned last week, I was one of the finalists in the Passion for Fashion competition, a live Project Runway-style challenge. Thursday night we met at the expo center and picked our models in random numerical order. I was 9th out of 12, but still got an incredible model named Samia. Little did I know exactly how perfect she would be for my creation. (See what I did there? Foreshadowing!)

Friday morning we arrived early at the show and received our challenge from Janet Pray, president of ASE and all-around awesome lady. It was very reality TV: we walked into a room with movie posters hanging all around the walls. The challenge? Pick a movie poster and design an ensemble inspired by the movie, a character in it, or the poster itself. There were lots of great choices: Breakfast at Tiffany's, Alice in Wonderland, Casablanca. But I knew which one I had to have:

Frida Kahlo is one of my favorite artists, as well as a style icon of mine (blogged here!). Readers, I had to have it. Luckily I was 4th to pick (in reverse order from model selection) and got it easily. (I later found out that no one else wanted it anyway!)

We got to work on sketching. I immediately thought of Frida's body cast--she was in a horrific bus accident in her teens, which resulted in massive injuries (including a broken spinal column) and necessitated 35 surgeries over the course of her life to correct. She began painting while she was bed-ridden, and later would paint her body casts, using a mirror to help her.

I saw one of her casts in person at the Casa Azul in Mexico City, and it looked like a strapless bustier to me. I also thought of skeletons--Frida's broken bones and Day of the Dead sugar skulls--and a skeletal structure became integral to the design.

After sketching, we were given $100 to shop for supplies on the expo floor. Here I am picking out some felted wool rayon at Crawford Designs. I also bought fabric at Haberman and Sew Batik, and a couple gorgeous trims from Soutache.

Anyway, long story short, here's the outfit I made over the course of the challenge:

The bustier was made in navy cotton, and I used ivory petersham ribbon on the outside as external casings for spiral steel boning. I arranged the ribbon in a subtle ribcage design and adorned it with bows, because Frida was nothing if not feminine. The back is similar, without the bows. There is vertical and horizonal boning, creating a cage effect.

The skirt is batik, as Frida loved folk art. There's horsehair in the hem (of course!) and border-print ruffles peeking out from below. The capelet is in a saffron-colored felted wool/rayon, and it elongated Samia's neck in the way Frida's portraits often did (you can check out some portraits here if you're interested. My favorite is "Broken Column."). The final touch was a bright rose-red silk ribbon which was twisted through Samia's hair.

How perfect is she???

I draped all three garment patterns, which felt like a big accomplishment. We had to sew everything over Friday and Saturday (in the middle of the expo floor, no less), ending at 3pm to get ready for the big runway show.

We were interviewed by the judges first (one of them was Suede from Project Runway Season 5), and it was hard. I was nervous.

We followed that up with the runway show, where we got to talk about our inspiration for the garments. Samia looked stunning. After all the garments were presented, they announced the top six and I made it! We were interviewed by the judges and some audience members while onstage (I felt like I was in a pageant). We made our way backstage while the judges deliberated.

We came back out and the winners were announced, starting with third place. It was me! Hurrah! I won a Babylock Melody sewing machine.

Here are the winning garments. The center is First Place (inspired by Alice in Wonderland) and on the right is Second Place (inspired by 101 Dalmatians).

Overall, it was a fantastic experience. Everyone was super nice (no reality show back-stabbing) and it got me thinking outside of my usual design choices. The sewing wasn't as stressful as I anticipated; the hard part was the designing. I think I'll have more to write about that later--as well as my recap of the expo itself, of course. I have the garments home with me, so I can show you more construction details if you're interested. Just don't ask to see how the ruffles are attached--that was the one time crunch! (Don't worry, it's not glue or staples.) It's just not very pretty . . . and of course everyone at the reception afterwards wanted to flip up her hem and inspect it. Oy. Anyway, more to come!

What a stunning design, Gertie! I absolutely LOVE every single part of it! I think it is a gorgeous silhouette, really impactful overall, and your model is SO beautiful, too! Gosh, I'm gushing but it is all very deserved. GREAT JOB and Congratulations on your prize!

Congratulations!! I love the little capelet, and the bustier, and the skirt! Really well done on coming third. It must seem insane that what started out as a blog to keep yourself busy has turned into all this!

Congrats on third place! That's amazing! You really captured Frida's essence and I absolutely love the saffron capelet, it really finishes the outfit!! Great job!!! Can't wait to hear more about the Expo!

Brava! I love how you completely captured Frida's spirit, and yet made something fresh and sort of modern, and that your own trademarks are very prevalent in the design too. You picked the best symbolism to put into the design, I probably would have put a monkey on that capelet calling it "whimsy"...

Just when I think I can't possibly have a bigger crush on you, you post this loveliness!

We have an entire wall of our apartment set up as a sort of Frida/Dia de los Muertos gallery. My daughters (they're six and three) get excited when we're out somewhere and happen to see a Frida. They think of her as part of our family.

Congratulations on your win! And you're right, your gorgeous model could not possibly have been more perfect.

I LOVE FRIDA!! I just caught the end of the Salma Hayek movie today AND checked out Frida Kahlo Portrait of a Mexican American Artist from the library (again) then I see this post. Frida is still everywhere! Congrats on your 3rd place win!! I hope you make good use of your prize.

Congratulations on your 3rd place award but I think it should have been 1st place! I totally don't get the Alice in Wonderland win. Anyway, fabulous entry of Frida and her life. Girl, you are a rising star!

I tend to agree with the last poster - maybe I'm biased but I love your outfit! And, how stressful!!!!! Congratulations! I went to my first ASG conference in LA and now I'm in love with the organization - I seriously can't believe the high skill levels! What I like about this design is that you stayed very true to your point of view.

Excellent job, and congrats on the win (although I agree, it should have been 1st)! It was great to meet you for about 10 seconds on Saturday; I also kept checking in to see what you had to say. Hope you come to the Expo next year!

Congratulations! It sounds like a fun time. Love all of it, Frida (and one of my fav's) and you really did capture her spirit. Did they just pull a season 8? Because I think your garment should have won first place.

Wow!! I love your design, I love the inspiration, I love the story (no one else wanted Frida anyhow). So fantastic. Congratulations on your win and count me as another person who totally prefers your outfit to the other two (they're lovely but no wonder if I'm here reading it's because I especially dig your style).

Great submission to the contest. Very very reflective of Kahlo. I'd seen a Kahlo exhibit a few years ago at the Philladelphia Art Museum and your dress is very reflective of her self portraits and her other collected works. Good job!

Congratulations! I agree with many others, you should have won, or even 2nd. But, hey, you placed!!! I, for one, am looking forward to any construction and designing info you choose to share with us (especially how the ruffle is attached -- even if it IS messy). It's the details that really set garments apart.

Congrats on scoring so high in the contest! It's a lovely design, and though I haven't seen the movie, I can definitely see the inspiration from the pictures you posted and from what knowledge I have of her paintings.

Gertie, I think you were ROBBED of the first prize!! Yours is BY FAR the best, and most sophisticated design! I am very surprised, but then I am a Frida Kahlo fan too (Have you read The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver? - great read) .. The only thing I would have done different is put pink bows on the bustier! I think your design is genius though and am in awe with the speed at which you accomplished the whole thing!!

Wow! Congratulations on landing the third spot, Gertie! Yes, Samia did your Frida outfit proud, but you are the real star! BTW, I think incorporating something skeleton is *very* "fashion forward" ;-) And the capelet has definitely plastercaster allure - it looks practically moulded (hope I spelled that right...) on Samia's shoulders!

You can be so proud of yourself: flying all over the continent on fashion-related events, teaching, having a book around the corner, taking up a top spot in a live fashion sewing contest... Hat off to you! I guess quitting your job and becoming a freelancer was the right decision for you indeed :-)

Congrats on winning 3rd place, Gertie!!! :D How exciting to be able to participate in a competition like that--it must have been exciting! :D Love what you did for the bustier of your outfit; the bows are very sweet. :)

HAVE to chime in, and I don't comment much--you really should have won. The other two are nice--but yours clearly comes on top in creativity, relationship to the theme, construction--and, I think, wearablity. Congrats on your win, and your dress is clearly on top.

I was watching you make the outfit both days, and I've got to say...it was fantastic!!!I wish everyone here could have seen it in person.A friend of mine was a judge and she gushed about it...she's also a Frida fan :)Congrats again!!!!